Fig. 8: comK expression is required for S. aureus survival during infection.

A Quantification of (i) pro-inflammatory cytokine production (TNFα, IL1β, IL6), and (ii) anti-inflammatory cytokine production (IL10) in the supernatant of monocyte-derived macrophages infected with different S. aureus strains (MOI 10) and analyzed at 24 h.p.i. Comparisons were made using one-sided ANOVA with Tukey’s test for multiple comparisons; *p < 0.05. Data are shown as mean ± SD of three independent experiments (n = 3). The activation of the pro- and anti-inflammatory immune response in macrophages is indicative of the severity of infection. Purified lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Escherichia coli was used as a positive control. B Bacterial survival, measured as CFU/mL, of the different S. aureus strains, after 2 h incubation with non-coagulated human blood (i) or plasma (ii). Differences were examined by one-sided ANOVA with Tukey’s test for multiple comparisons; **p < 0.01. Data are shown as mean ± SD of three independent experiments (n = 3). C Galleria mellonella were infected with different S. aureus strains (10⁶ CFU). Surviving larvae were counted after 48 h of incubation (n = 15 larvae/group; 3 independent experiments). Differences were examined by one-sided ANOVA with Tukey’s test for multiple comparisons; **p < 0.01. Data are shown as mean ± SD of three independent experiments (n = 3). D Murine pneumonia model: percentage survival of S. aureus-infected mice (n = 10). Differences in survival were analyzed by the log-rank test. Statistical significance was measured by two-tailed Student’s t test, **p < 0.01. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.